Intel kills off its 11th-gen Core processors

Intel has discontinued what appears to be the last of its 11th-gen Core “Tiger Lake” processors, potentially identifying them as targets for upcoming sales during the holidays and earlier.

Toms Hardware originally noted the change, which has been publicly confirmed on Intel’s website. Intel’s decision affects several of its mobile chipsets as well as processors like the Core i3-1115G4, the Core i5-1130G7, and the Core i7-1165G7. Earlier this year, Intel also discontinued other 11th-gen Core chips, the remainder of which seem to be included in this latest batch.

Intel’s Tiger Lake was the company’s third 10nm chip, which has been followed by more advanced 12th- and 13th-generation Core chips. Intel executives have also pledged to roll out five new process technologies in four years. Intel is on the cusp of releasing Meteor Lake, which Intel executives said was “ready” at the end of 2022. That chip will include dedicated AI logic, Intel chief executive Pat Gelsinger has said.

It’s not unusual for Intel to discontinue its older processors, especially with its engineering and marketing teams looking towards the future. What this means, though, is that 11th-gen Core chips, as well as the PCs that include them, will be the prime target for sales as retailers and channel customers clear their shelves. Intel’s product-change notifications (PCNs) call for a final discontinuance order date of October 27, with the absolute final shipments ending on December 29.

While that could mean that you’ll see 11th-gen Core laptops shipping into 2024, don’t hold your breath. Instead, start looking for 11th-gen hardware to go on sale possibly even as early as Prime Day 2023 (which has yet to be formally announced, but typically takes place during the summer). It’s even more likely that 11th-gen laptops could be the hot sales item for the holidays, especially Black Friday.

Is it worth buying Intel’s Tiger Lake? Yes. Our review of Intel’s Tiger Lake-H mobile chip review clearly concluded that it goes head-to-head with AMD’s best. Laptops built with Tiger Lake chips inside include the latest PCI Express Gen 4, Wi-Fi 6E, and Thunderbolt 4 — all technologies that appear on cutting-edge laptops today. The only differences will be slightly slower integrated GPUs and memory, as well as performance that won’t quite measure up to today’s fastest laptops. Still, any discounts on 11th-gen Core chips could make it worthwhile.